The inventions described and claimed herein relate generally to bottle caps which form closures for use in the bottled water industry and which are capable of receiving a dispensing probe.
Valved bottle caps, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,370,270; 5,392,939; 5,542,555; 5,687,867; 5,904,259 and 5,957,316, have been used in conjunction with a probe dispensing system for a number of years. Valved closures for bottled water solve problems relating to the growth of bacteria in the dispensing system reservoirs and solve the problem of spilling water when the bottle is initially installed on the dispensing system. Current valved bottle caps generally consist of a molded bottle cap with a central tube section, a separately molded inner cap or plug which is initially engaged with the central tube section, a liner to provide a seal at the bottle neck, and a label affixed to the outside of the cap to prevent contaminants from entering the central tube section, which contaminants will commingle with the contents of the bottle when the bottle is inverted onto a cooler. When a bottle is installed on a dispensing system, the dispensing probe is directed into the central tube section, the inner cap moves from engagement with the central tube into engagement with the probe, and the inner cap moves out of engagement with the central tube section effectively opening the bottle so that water can escape the bottle through the probe and into a reservoir in the dispenser. As the bottle is removed from the dispenser, the cap is lifted from the probe, and the inner cap reengages with the central tube section to block debris from being dropped into the otherwise open top of the container as the empty container awaits retrieval by the bottler for re-use.
There are some problems associated with the use of valved bottle caps. Occasionally, an inner cap will not engage correctly with the probe when the bottle is installed on a water dispensing system or with the central tube when the bottle is removed from the water dispensing system. This condition is known in the bottled water industry as a container with a “floater”. In the first instance, the inner cap will float to the top of the water and will give the impression that the water is not sanitary. In addition, when there is a failure of engagement between the probe and the inner cap or plug there will be no inner cap or plug to block the dropping of debris into the empty bottle during the period that the empty bottle is awaiting pick-up by the bottling company. Even if the probe and inner cap or plug successfully engage upon the installation of a full bottle onto the dispenser, it is still possible for there to be a failure for the probe and inner cap or plug to re-engage when the bottle is removed from the dispenser. If there is an open pathway through the central tube during the period when an empty bottle is awaiting pick-up, there is a significant chance that people will deposit garbage, cigarette butts, gum, etc., into the empty container as they approach the dispenser—using the empty bottle as a sort of trash container. When a bottle contains such debris, the bottler who wants to re-use the bottle has a significantly more difficult time cleaning the bottle, as compared to a bottle that has not been used as a trash container.
Users have also experienced difficulty in removing the bottle from the dispensing system, especially when pulling the bottle off at an angle. The length of the central tube may create too great a grip on the probe making removal of the bottle difficult. When this occurs, greater force may be needed to remove the bottle, which may then cause the bottle to disengage from the probe suddenly causing the bottle to hit the user on the face.
Dispensing probes are often specially designed to mate with specific inner caps, and a bottler may be supplying customers with different probes. Even when a bottler delivers water to customers who have “standard” probes (0.75 inches in diameter), there may be variability in the ease or difficulty with which the central tube engages and disengages with such probes, in part because of the length of the central tube or because of the way in which the inner cap or plug engages or disengages the probe. Because bottlers are increasingly required to deal with probes and dispensing systems from multiple manufacturers, it is desirable to have a cap for their bottles that can readily accommodate the variability that exists in the systems of their customer base. Also, valved bottle caps can be costly compared to a cap molded as a single component. Providing a separate component in the form of an inner cap or plug means that there will be additional raw material required and will require the operation and maintenance of the molding equipment needed to manufacture that component. In addition, providing the inner cap or plug as a separate component means that there is both labor and equipment needed to pre-attach the inner cap or plug to the central tube.